Rash and multiorgan dysfunction following lamotrigine: could genetic be involved?

Int J Clin Pharm. 2015 Oct;37(5):682-6. doi: 10.1007/s11096-015-0158-4. Epub 2015 Jul 15.

Abstract

Case (description): We report the case of a 38-year-old woman treated with lamotrigine who experienced multi-organ dysfunction. The patient received the drug at the dose of 100 mg per day. One week later, the treatment was suspended because of an extensive body rash. Twenty-four hours later, the patient appeared drowsy and stuporous and was hospitalized. On the fifth day, the patient was admitted with a clinical picture of acute multi-organ failure in our Institute, where, she, despite the support of vital functions with vasoactive drugs, continuous hemofiltration and ventilation with oxygen, died. Serum lamotrigine concentration was measured 110 h after its last dose and the drug resulted to be still present at 1 mg/L. The patient was homozygous for the UGT1A4-70C and UGT2B7-161C alleles and heterozygous for the UGT2B7-372A>G polymorphism. Regarding ABCB1 the patient showed the 3435CC, 2677GT and 1236CT genotypes.

Conclusion: Our results may suggest a role of the UGT2B7-372A>G polymorphism in this reaction.

Keywords: ABCB1; Antiepileptic drugs; HLA; Lamotrigine; Multi-organ dysfunction; Pharmacogenetics; Rash; SNPs; UGT1A4; UGT2B7.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Anticonvulsants / adverse effects*
  • Anticonvulsants / blood
  • Exanthema / chemically induced*
  • Exanthema / genetics*
  • Exanthema / mortality
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Glucuronosyltransferase / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Lamotrigine
  • Multiple Organ Failure / chemically induced*
  • Multiple Organ Failure / genetics*
  • Multiple Organ Failure / mortality
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Triazines / adverse effects*
  • Triazines / blood

Substances

  • Anticonvulsants
  • Triazines
  • UGT2B7 protein, human
  • Glucuronosyltransferase
  • Lamotrigine